Video management systems (VMS) known in the art include a plurality of cameras dispersed in a monitored area and a workstation for monitoring video associated with the plurality of cameras. Each camera can monitor a particular zone in the monitored area. When an alarm or event condition is detected by any particular camera in the area, the video management system can provide an indication at the workstation that the alarm or event condition was detected.
Once an alarm or event condition is detected, an operator or user at the workstation can send or inform security personnel to visit the zone in which the alarm or event condition was detected. Security personnel can investigate the alarm or event condition and/or any suspicious activity occurring in the monitored zone.
In video management systems, each of the plurality of cameras is given a camera name and has a particular location. Often the number of cameras included in a video management system is so numerous that it is difficult, if not impossible, for an operator to remember the name of each camera and the location monitored by each camera. Accordingly, an operator will often access a table or other cross-referencing device to determine the particular location of a camera when that camera detects an alarm or event condition. This can be a tedious and time consuming task for an operator, especially when an alarm condition has been detected and time is of the essence.
There is thus a continuing, ongoing need for systems and methods to expedite the response time of an operator or security personnel when an alarm or event condition has been detected. Preferably, such systems and methods generate an optimal guidance route map for security personnel to follow when moving from a workstation to a zone in which the alarm or event condition is detected.